Pre-Columbian America Study Guide

Kukulkan

the god of sky and thunder

Kukulkan's features

Feathered, serpent looking

Huracan

the god of wind, storm, and fire

Huracan's importance

one of the creators of humanity

Chaac

the god of rain

What were chiefs of Mayan civilization called and what does it mean?

ajaw/ahau meaning lord

Mayan religious books

Popol Vuh and Books of Chilam Balam

Mayan priests and nobles

could read and write

Mayan social structure

Chief, priests, nobles, merchants, artisans, peasants, slaves

Majority occupation of peasants

Farmers

Power in Mayan civilization

split up between city states

Mayan priests

could contact gods, making them powerful

Mayan nobles are

military chiefs/enforcement officials

Merchants' trade areas

Mexico/Central America

Social class sacrificed in ceremonies

Slaves

Mayans' pottery and textiles

polychrome pottery and dyed textiles

Minerals used to purify water

Zeolites and quartz

Irrigation systems & aqueducts

help transport water long distances

Stone heads civilization

Olmecs

Number of stone heads built by the Olmecs

17 stone heads

Earliest Mesoamerican civilization

Olmecs

TRUE OR FALSE. The Olmecs only worshipped one god, a Jaguar-man.

False

Language of the Olmecs

Mixe Zoquean

Crops grown by the Olmecs

Maize, beans, chili peppers, squash

Goods traded by the Olmecs

Jade, serpentine, obsidian tools, ceramic pottery

Olmecs' stone creations

Idols

Sacred Olmec color

Purple

Olmecs' known achievements

Massive stone heads and Complex religious iconography

Years Olmec civilization flourished

1500 BCE to 400 BCE

Popular cult of the Toltecs

Quetzalcoatl Cult

Toltec society is

very militaristic

Toltec economics were mainly built around

agriculture and trade

Toltecs' trading good

textiles

Capital of the Toltecs

Tula

Game developed by the Toltecs

Ball game

Mayan Civilization record-keeping

They used hieroglyphics to record history & royal lineages.

Years of Mayan Civilization

300 BCE to 900 CE.

True or False, the Mayans had a Concept of 0

True.

Mayan architecture

Impressive city-states with pyramids and palaces.

Capital of the Mayans

Teotihuacan.

Material used for tools and weapons in Mayan civilization

Obsidian.

Largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas

Teotihuacan.

Street layout in Teotihuacan

Grid based.

Fall of the Aztec Empire

1521 CE.

Start of the Aztec Empire

1325 CE.

Capital of the Aztec Empire

Tenochtitlan.

Modern name for Tenochtitlan

Mexico City.

Tenochtitlan was built on

Lake Texcoco.

Chinampa

Floating garden found in the Aztec Empire.

Achievements of the Aztec Empire

Complex social hierarchy, tribute system and a sophisticated education system.

Practiced in the Aztec Empire

Human sacrifice.

Religion of the Aztec Empire

Polytheistic.

Largest Pre-Columbian empire in South America

Inca Empire.

Reign of the Inca Empire

1438 CE - 1533 CE.

Location of the Incas

Andes Mountains.

Countries spanned by the Inca Empire

Ecuador to Chile.

Common way to cross mountain gaps in Inca civilization

Rope Bridges.

Record-keeping method of the Inca Empire

Quipu.

Quipu

A knot based record-keeping system.

Achievements of The Inca Empire

Efficient centralized government and advanced stone masonry techniques.

Key domesticated crops in Inca civilization

Maize(corn), potatoes, squash, beans.

Ancient pueblo people

Anasazi.

Mound builders

Cultures in eastern North America that built large earthen mounds for ceremonial and burial purposes.

Time period of the Mound Builders

1000 BCE to 1500 CE.

Time period of the Anasazi people

100 BCE to 1600 CE.

Forms of currency in Pre-Columbian society

Shells, metals, and cacao beans(chocolate).

Things exchanged through trade routes

Goods, ideas, and cultural practices.

Types of monumental architecture

Pyramids, temples, and palaces.

Aztecs writing system

Pictographs.

Historical and religious records in ancient American civilizations

Codices.

Ancient American foods contributing to modern world cuisine

Chocolate, potatoes, corn.